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PART I
GETTING STARTED

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Chapter I
What Is a Research Paper?

Research is a way of life dedicated to discovery. ANONYMOUS

Few of us are ever going to become professional researchers, but all of us will find times when research is indispensable to our lives. Whether you're looking for information about a car's safety record, a community's schools, or a company's stock, you'll need to know how to gather, sort, and track the facts and opinions available to you.

That's why you need to know how to do a research paper. A research paper is such a useful and efficient method for gathering and presenting reliable information that preparing one is frequently assigned in high schools and colleges. In addition, research papers are often important in business, especially in fast changing fields where facts and opinions must be sorted. These businesses include law, manufacturing, retailing, security, fashion, computer technology, banking, insurance, and accounting.

Research Papers vs. Term Papers

A research paper and its first cousin, the term paper, are often confused. In part, that's because there are no fixed differences between them regarding length, topic, format, or citations. If you held a research paper in one hand and a term paper in the other without reading them for content, they would appear to be the same.

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Nonetheless, the two forms of written communication are not the same, as a closer examination reveals. Let's look at each type of essay to see how they are the same and different.

A research paper presents and argues a thesis, the writer's proposition or opinion. It is an analytical or persuasive essay that evaluates a position. As such, a research paper tries to convince readers that the writer's argument is valid or at least deserves serious consideration.

As a result, a research paper requires the writer to be creative in using facts, details, examples, and opinions to support a point. The writer has to be original and inventive in deciding which facts best support the thesis and which ones are superfluous.

When you write a research paper, you have to read what authorities have written about the topic and then write an essay in which you draw your own conclusions about the topic. Since your thesis is fresh and original, you can't merely summarize what someone else has written. Instead, you have to synthesize information from many different sources to create something that is your own.

A term paper, in contrast, is a collection of facts. It does not argue a point; it does not try to persuade readers to think or act a certain way. Since a term paper is a summary of information from one or more sources, you are merely reporting what others have said. This is not to say that a term paper doesn't have many valid uses. For example, it is very helpful for people who need a great deal of data in a condensed, easy-to-read form. Government workers are often asked to prepare term papers with information on weather, transportation, economics, and so forth.

Differences between a Research Paper and a Term Paper
Research Paper	Term Paper
Argues a point.	Presents data.
Formulates a thesis.	Reports what others said.
Is argumentative/persuasive.	Is expository/descriptive.
Evaluates.	Summarizes.
Considers why and how.	Considers what.

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Examples:

	Here is how typical college-level topics could be developed for research papers and term papers.

	Topic: Baseball

	Research Paper

	Term Paper

	There should/should not be interleague play.

	The history of baseball

	Topic: Testing

	Research Paper

	Term Paper

	Standardized tests are/are not an accurate measure of success in college.

	Different types of standardized tests

	Topic: School

	Research Paper

	Term Paper

	Year-round school will/ will not raise students' achievement.

	Survey of topics taught in secondary schools

	Topic: Thomas Hardy

	Research Paper

	Term Paper

	Hardy is/is not the greatest English novelist of his era.

	Chronology of Hardy's life and writing

What Are the Qualities of a Good Research Paper?

No matter what its topic or length, an effective research paper meets the following ten criteria:

1. The paper has a clear thesis.

2. The writer shows a strong understanding of the topic and source material used.

3. There is evidence that the writer has read widely on the topic, including the recognized authorities in the field.

4. The paper acknowledges the opposition but shows why the point being argued is more valid.

5. The points are organized in a clear and logical way.

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6. Each point is supported by solid, persuasive facts and examples.

7. Every outside source is carefully documented.

8. All supporting material can be verified.

9. The paper follows the standard conventions of the genre, including the use of correct documentation and a Works Cited page.

10. The paper uses standard written English. This is the level of diction and usage expected of educated people in high schools, colleges, universities, and work settings.

Time Management

Whether you are writing a research paper as a class assignment or as part of a work-related assignment, the odds are very good that you are not going to have all the time you want. In nearly every case, you are working against a deadline. You have to produce a paper of a certain length by a certain date.

Since you are working under pressure within narrow constraints, it's important to know how to allocate your time from the very beginning. In fact, one of the most challenging aspects of writing a paper is planning your time effectively. You don't want to end up spending the night before the paper is due cramming material in the library and typing until you're bleary-eyed. Your paper will not be very successful—and you'll be wiped out for days.

No one deliberately plans to leave work to the last minute, but few novice writers (and even some more experienced ones!) realize how much time it takes to select a topic, find information, read and digest it, take notes, and write successive drafts of the paper. This is especially true when you're faced with all the other pressures of school and work. No one can produce a good research paper without adequate time.

That's why it's crucial to allocate your time carefully from the day you get the assignment. Before you plunge into the process, start by making a plan. Here are some plans to get you started.

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Notes:

Each plan assumes a five-day workweek, so you can relax on the weekends.

The last step is always ''wiggle room.'' When it comes to any major project such as a research paper, things often go wrong. Perhaps the book you really need is out of the library and it will take too long to get it from another library. So you have to rely more heavily on other sources, which means more time doing research than you had counted on. Or maybe you lost some of your bibliography cards, the dog ate your rough draft, your hard drive crashed.

Examples:

	4-Week Plan (20 Days)

	Task

	Time

	1. Selecting a topic

	1/2 day

	2. Narrowing the topic

	1/2 day

	3. Crafting a thesis statement

	1/2 day

	4. Doing preliminary research

	2 days

	5. Taking notes

	2 days

	6. Creating an outline

	1/2 day

	7. Writing the first draft

	3 days

	8. Finding additional sources

	2 days

	9. Integrating source materials

	1 day

	10. Using internal documentation

	1/2 day

	11. Creating a Works Cited page

	1/2 day

	12. Writing front matter/end matter

	1 day

	13. Revising, editing, proofreading

	3 days

	14. Keyboarding

	1 day

	15. Wiggle room

	2 days

	6-Week Plan (30 Days)

	Task

	Time

	1. Selecting a topic

	1 day

	2. Narrowing the topic

	1 day

	3. Crafting a thesis statement

1 day

4. Doing preliminary research

3 days

	5. Taking notes

	3 days

	6. Creating an outline

	1 day

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	7. Writing the first draft

	4 days

	8. Finding additional sources

	3 days

	9. Integrating source materials

	2 days

	10. Using internal documentation

	1 day

	11. Creating a Works Cited page

	1 day

	12. Writing front matter/end matter

	1 day

	13. Revising, editing, proofreading

	4 days

	14. Keyboarding

	2 days

	15. Wiggle room

	2 days

	8-Week Plan (40 Days)

	Task

	Time

	1. Selecting a topic

	2 days

	2. Narrowing the topic

	2 days

	3. Crafting a thesis statement

	1 day

	4. Doing preliminary research

	4 days

	5. Taking notes

	5 days

	6. Creating an outline

	1 day

	7. Writing the first draft

	7 days

	8. Finding additional sources

	3 days

	9. Integrating source materials

	3 days

	10. Using internal documentation

	2 days

11. Creating a Works Cited page

1 day

12. Writing front matter/end matter

1 day

	13. Revising, editing, proofreading

	4 days

	14. Keyboarding

	2 days

	15. Wiggle room

	2 days

	12-Week Plan (60 Days)

	If you have 12 weeks (60 days) to complete a research paper, remember that longer is not necessarily better! With a long lead time, it's mighty tempting to leave the assignment to the last minute. After all, you do have plenty of time. But "plenty of time" has a way of evaporating fast. In many instances, it's actually easier to have less time in which to write a research paper, because you know that you're under pressure to produce.

Now that you've been warned about the "time trap," if you have 12 weeks (60 days) in which to complete a research paper, here's how to use it.

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1. Selecting a topic	3 days
2. Narrowing the topic	2 days
3. Crafting a thesis statement	1 day
4. Doing preliminary research	8 days
5. Taking notes	8 days
6. Creating an outline	2 days
7. Writing the first draft	10 days
8. Finding additional sources	4 days
9. Integrating source materials	3 days
10. Using internal documentation	2 days
11. Creating a Works Cited page	1 day
12. Writing front matter/end matter	2 days
13. Revising, editing, proofreading	6 days
14. Keyboarding	3 days
15. Wiggle room	5 days

Now that we've gotten a toe wet, it's time to learn how to select a topic. This is covered in the next chapter.

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